


Episode IX: Duel of the Fates

by EduardoAranha



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Canon Divergence - Star Wars Expanded Universe, F/M, Other, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22372663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EduardoAranha/pseuds/EduardoAranha
Summary: The iron grip of the FIRST ORDER has spread to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Only a few scattered planets remain unoccupied. Traitorous acts are punishable by death.Determined to suffocate a growing unrest, Supreme Leader KYLO REN has silenced all communication between neighbouring systems.Led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, the Resistance has planned a secret mission to prevent their annihilation and forge a path to freedom...Rose, BB-8, Finn and Poe are planning to attack the Kuat Shipyards, so they can restore the spark of hope. Meanwhile, two sides of the Force balance each other: Rey tries follow the steps of the Jedi, as Kylo Ren goes even further in the path of the Sith. Do you wonder what Episode IX could have been with Colin Trevorrow's script? Well, here it is a re-imagination!
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	1. Opening Crawl

# STAR WARS

# EPISODE IX: DUEL OF THE FATES

##  _The iron grip of the FIRST ORDER has spread to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Only a few scattered planets remain unoccupied. Traitorous acts are punishable by death._

##  _Determined to suffocate a growing unrest, Supreme Leader KYLO REN has silenced all communication between neighbouring systems._

##  _Led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, the Resistance has planned a secret mission to prevent their annihilation and forge a path to freedom..._


	2. The Evacuation of Deponn

** Chapter I **

The Evacuation of Deponn

The  _ Aurora _ emerged from the hangar on the Orbital Ring of Kuat.

“There it goes,” Mara said beside her, impressed.

The maintenance control room of section AT-11 of the Deponn Shipyard had a clear view of the dagger-shaped Star Destroyer leaving the Station. Its massive form quickly conquered the sky, as if the stars were nothing more than dust. 

A shiver went down Rose Tico’s spine as she watched the Destroyer. In a blink of an eye, the massive ship was gone, jumping to lightspeed. The starry sky took again its place around the Orbital Ring surrounding the moon of Kuat.

“Where do you think it’s going, Paige?” Mara asked, with her freckled smile. “I heard the new government is still trying to bring peace to Naboo.”

_ Bring peace,  _ Rose repeated in her mind, managing not to roll her eyes. __ The First Order was bringing peace to the wars they had started, she wanted to reply. But discussing that with Mara would be too revealing. There were reports of new conflicts almost every day now. Ships spreading across the galaxy, assuring the dominance of the First Order – consolidating once again an echo from the past. 

“Someone told me the  _ Aurora  _ was set to Coruscant, actually.” Rose confided, clicking on some buttons. “Senator Ormes Apolin will present a status report to Chancellor Hux, I suppose.”

A droid had told her  _ that _ , after slicing through the main systems of the Kuat Drive Yards. But sharing that bit would also be too revealing, wouldn’t it? The very same droid was connected to the panel, placed between the two of them, assisting their job as maintenance control officers. It was a black plated unit, with white and silver accents.

“ _ Chancellor _ ,” Mara said, with a smile. “I still find it odd whenever I hear it.”

The First Order had taken its place in Coruscant over two months ago – and since then Armitage Hux had taken a place as Chancellor, the second most important office of the government. 

After occupying the old capital of the Empire without resistance, the majority of the Core Worlds had declared for the new government, remembering only too well the fate of Hosnian Prime. Besides, it seemed the news about the Battle of Crait had crushed hope across the galaxy, leading many to believe the Resistance was extinct. 

“Well, as long as this  _ Chancellor  _ brings peace back, I’ll support them.” Mara retorted, in her naivety. She was a kuatian junior officer, a year younger than Rose, and extremely gullible. The girl was also too immature to understand what the Resistance meant, or even the First Order – she just wanted to work and assure her family down in the moon had a future away from slavery. “As my Dad says, the New Republic did not good to the galaxy. It’s time we recover the glory from the old days.” 

“I wish I was an optimist like you,” Rose said, gulping. She touched the ore pendant around her neck, just to compose herself – and not punch Mara. “My throat is sore, Mara… Can you get us some refreshments? I will overlook your panel.”

Mara smiled and nodded, always ready to leave her seat for a few minutes to go down to the working canteen. She was not a greedy officer – she was just ignorant.

“By the Force, she is so tiresome sometimes!” Rose said, stretching her arms as soon as she was left alone with BB-8. The droid beeped something, and she laughed. “Yes, I know, I know. I wish I could open her eyes and tell her what the First Order is hiding… But she is always so  _ sure  _ about what she says. Oh, well…”

The timer on her panel approached the time she had agreed with Finn and Poe during their last communication. The droid beeped something again, making Rose laugh once more.

“Yes, yes, I know you can’t wait to get rid of those plates. Let’s get to work.”

BB-8 was not his usual self. Before their departure from the new base of the Resistance, Poe Daemeron had made sure he wouldn’t be taken by a Resistance droid. As a result, he had been stripped of his white and orange covers, his original plates having been replaced by the ones of a First Order droid. Only his original silver accents remained, contrasting with the dark metallic parts.

“I can’t wait to get out of _ these _ too.” She said, looking quickly down her uniform.

As part of her undercover, the easier part had been taking her sister’s name – posing as a First Order officer for almost a month had been far more challenging. The high-collared tunic she had to wear every day, with the matching flared-hipped breeches, still made her skin itch. Even the hat on the top of her had made her want to scream. Even so, she had a piece of home to hold on to. A small ore pendant, hanging around her neck. 

“So, let’s do this, shall we?” She said, clicking some more buttons.

The droid beeped in agreement, extending his scomp-link to reconnect it to the terminal on the wall. 

Rose inclined over the console, checking the current status on the Production Center AT-11. She pressed some buttons and quickly confirmed the droid-production levels were at ninety-two per cent. A perfectly normal scenario.

As part of her  _ official  _ job at the Kuat Drive Yards, she had to monitor the production progress of engineering droids building a brand-new set of AT-RT. It was a boring task since she had to pass most of her day in a control room, checking and optimizing the production levels of droids. Officer Mara Lynn at her side helped her, overlooking her team of droids.

The exciting jobs – at least, that was what her colleagues said during meals – were the ones taking place on the Maw and Andrin Shipyards, where the Star Destroyers and TIEs were built. Those were the shipyards a few kilometres down on the Ring orbiting the moon of Kuat. Residences, docks, warehouses, markets and even apartments separated her shipyard from the main ones. 

Yes, at the Deponn Shipyard the machinery developed was lighter and not so exciting. Yet, it was the perfect place to infiltrate an undercover, since it granted her access and privacy. 

She was there with BB-8 as part of their mission for the Resistance, of course.

A few weeks ago, when news had come about Kuat declaring for the First Order, General Leia had feared the worst – after all, one of the main production facilities of the galaxy was now working directly to the First Order.

By then, the communications had not been jammed yet – and in her attempt to reach old and new allies, General Leia had found an improbable ally in Kuat. Bisc Kova was not happy with the direction Kuat was following. The stormtroopers had occupied the planet and the moon, forcing every officer serving at the Ring to serve the First Order. The ones who refused were sent to the ore mines, where workers were being treated as criminals and slaves. So, decided to fight for freedom, the mysterious friend of General Organa had offered to infiltrate two members of the Resistance in the Orbital Ring.

From there, Rose and BB-8 had managed to infiltrate more reinforcements on the Moon – and prepare a plan to disable the shipyard at the service of the First Order.

“Alright,” Rose said, opening a new panel on her console screen. “Wait, let me just check if the droids have time to return to their pods.” With a few clicks, she gave the order. Through the window in her office, she could overlook the production area down below. All the droids operating around two ATs returned quickly to their safety pods on the wall. 

On her screen, the production levels abruptly descended to zero, which meant…

“Officer Volmos, why are  _ my _ droids in their safety pods?”

The voice of Officer Fischin quickly came through the comlink. From a control room down in the moon, the officer monitored the efficiency levels of the twenty production areas at the Deponn Shipyard.

“Sir, it seemed there is a problem with one of our units,” she lied, winking to BB-8.

“A problem? You  _ can’t _ afford a problem. Get yourself together or I swear I will go up there myself.”

“Sir…” She said, managing a wicked smile. She hated Fischin, especially after finding out he had turned his son to the stormtroopers at Kuat. “One of the ATs is burning and there is a risk of explosion”, she continued, her eyes looking directly to a row of perfectly fine AT-RT. “I had to salvage the droids and I… I’m activating the Evacuation Plan, sir. I don’t think it’s safe over here, there is a lot of toxic smoke…”

“What?” The voiced asked angrily from the other side. “Silly girl, don’t activate…”

“I’m just following the protocol, sir.” She said, right before disconnecting the commlink. “Ok, BeeBee, do your part!”

There was no need to give an order to the droid. He was more than ready. Instantly, a bell started ringing over her head, echoing through the Deponn Shipyard. An automatic voice started emanating from the speakers.

“Attention. Attention. Evacuation Plan is now activated at the Deponn Shipyard. Please, board the nearest Escape Pod. This is not a drill. Attention. Attention.”

Still connected to the system, BB-8 started activating K2-Refinery’s alarms. He did it within seconds, removing itself from the terminal when finished. Beeping animatedly, he rolled around Rose’s chair for a few seconds.

“Yes, it’s time.”

She kneeled under the panel table and opened a secret hatch. Inside it, small blaster gun was waiting for her – a unit stolen from a production area a few corridors away from her control room. The weapon was not designed to be fired by a human, but it would work if necessary. She fasted it to her belt, hiding it underneath her tunic.

Outside her control room, chaos had settled. The red lights blared in the ceiling, propagating the sense of urgency. The speakers were loud – very loud – at the point, it seemed the entire station trembled to the sound of it. Officers and droids ran everywhere, trying to find the Escape Pods or scavenging electronic devices. Someone was screaming, asking people to be calm, that this was surely a drill. A handful of arrogant officers were laughing, pointing to the ones that were panicking. Few were the ones taking the Evacuation Plan seriously.

BB-8 rolled behind her, down the corridor, beeping some directions she almost couldn’t hear over the alarms. She stopped on her heels, recognizing Mara leaving the canteen, with her eyes wide open. The girl seemed paler than usual, her mouth opened in shock.

For an instant, Rose was sure her feet would move again, taking her to the Escape Pods Dock. However, she couldn’t move, not actually.  _ This is not how we are going to win _ . Mara was ingenuine, yes, and she supported the First Order without knowing why – yet, she was not a bad person, was it? She would be safe if she was left behind, Rose was  _ almost  _ sure. But the girl would be safer away from the Ring.

“Mara, come!” Rose bellowed, startling the girl by grabbing her arm. The two juice cups she was holding fell from her hands, splashing their boots. 

“Paige…?” The girl looked at her with an odd expression, as if noticing her for the first time. “Did you—?”

_ Something is wrong with her. _

BB-8 beeped with what were some signs of confusion, pressing himself against Rose’s legs, as if insisting they should continue.

“We don’t have time, come with me.”

“Y-yes, yes, alright.”

Gripping Mara’s arm, Rose pulled her while following BB-8 to the Escape Pod Dock. There were twelve escape pods available – only three had departed. Three officers were settling themselves on a pod down the station, minding their own business.

“Here, this one,” Rose said, pointing to the closest one. She let go of Mara’s arm and followed BB-8 to the pod.

The droid took his place at the driving console, connecting his scomp-link. The engine started, the lights flaring over her head. Rose seated on the pilot seat and fastened her belt when she looked over her shoulder.

Mara had not entered the pod.

“What? Where is she?” She bellowed in confusion, nodding her head. BB-8 beeped, rolling his small head. The sense of urgency was palpable in each one of his beeps. They had to go before the others resumed the plan on the Refinery. Quickly, she unfastened her belt again and ran to the door. “A few more seconds, BeeBee.”

Reaching the door, she confirmed Mara was on the dock, right where she had left her.

Rose opened her mouth to call her in, but quickly realized it was a mistake. Mara Lynn seemed angry, her face distorted by pure hatred and her eyes full of tears. A portable comlink was locked in her right hand, close to her lips.

_ Officer Fischin got to her. _

“Get her!” Mara screamed, pointing her finger toward Rose. “She is a traitor!”

Rose moved her face, to see to whom Mara was talking.

The three officers she had just seen readying for their departure were alert. One of them had been quicker than all the others and grabbed a blaster.

“BeeBee, close the door!” Rose screamed, realizing only too slowly what was happening.

She moved her hand to her belt, to get her blaster, but the officer was quicker. He fired towards her. Rose screamed, retracing her step back to the interior of the pod. Blaster shots passed right above her head, knocking down her hat. Another shot destroyed a lightbulb in the ceiling of the pod and—

The door closed abruptly with a swoosh.

More blaster shots were fired against the locked door, but they couldn’t reach her now.

The pod was released with a clicking sound and suddenly it was falling toward the Moon of Kuat, ripping through the dark sky.

“Wow, BeeBee,” Rose said, gasping, managing to finally reach her seat and fasten her belt. “They are onto us way sooner than we expected.”


	3. The Lies of the Stormtrooper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when I started writing this fanfiction, I only had the outline of what the script was. However, last weekend the entire script leaked online, giving us a LOT more material about Duel of the Fates. Thus, I have decided to maintain my original plan for the beginning of the story, even though is slightly different from how it would happen in the movie. But after the Kuat plot, I intend to use the script as my main guide. Answering to your comments about Reylo, I don't intend to include Reylo in this work -at a maximum, it will be only a slight tension between the two characters, following what we saw on The Last Jedi.
> 
> Let me know if you have interest in this story. I will try to update another chapter this week.

**Chapter II**

The Lies of the Stormtrooper

"What is that?"

"The Refinery," replied JK-4678, uninterested.

The echoes of an alarm sounded across the plains, reaching the Control Outpost of the Migrant Settlement. Atop the small tower overlooking the village, the stormtrooper turned his head, gazing across the blue twilight.

It was the signal.

The trooper standing guard at his side – a Corellian soldier code-named JK-4678 – sighed, letting impatience take over his mood.

"At least, they are getting some action" JK-4678 shared, also checking the distant horizon. He was not very expansive, but when he talked it was usually to complain about how dull his shifts were. "I'm done overlooking cattle, dirty children and old women."

"I guess you are right." The first trooper replied, nodding. "Well, I will go down there to check if they need anything from us. Maybe we can get some action tonight, hum?"

He could try to be empathic, but it never worked with JK-4678.

"Suit yourself," JK-4678 replied, resuming his post overlooking the hundreds of huts surrounding the watchtower. "It's just the stupid alarms of the refinery. They blare once a week, anyway…"

 _Yes, but_ _today is different._

Taking his leave, the stormtrooper climbed down the stairs to the courtyard. A few children – no older than five – were running around, dancing to the sound of the distant alarm. All of them stood quiet at the sight of him and ran away, back to the safety of their huts.

Thousands continued to arrive weekly from every corner of the galaxy. Many of them were forced to join the jobs at the mines, hoping they would solidify a safe future for their families – but the only thing they received was a hut, a bowl of food and a job that could kill you.

The stormtrooper stopped on his tracks and removed a bag from his back. Fidgeting inside, he sensed Maz's necklace at the bottom of the backpack until he finally encountered what he wanted to find – a ration of blue bread with cheese. He placed it on a low wall, certain the children would find it as soon as he was gone.

 _The small things could turn out big_.

He had just adjusted the backpack again when he noticed he was not alone in the courtyard. Behind some barrels, there was a figure with insect eyes, glaring back at him. The trooper jumped, his hand quickly falling back to the handle of his blaster.

 _Not insect eyes_ , he realized. _Goggles_.

"Who is there—?" He asked.

The figure moved in the twilight dimness, disappearing behind the huts.

The stormtrooper considered going after it. Could it be an ally? No, no, if it was an ally, Kovac would have said something. There was no time for such a riddle. It was likely someone curious, expecting to have a closer look at the troopers. So, he climbed to the speeder and went on his way, leaving the village behind.

The refinery building was only two miles away from the Migration Settlement. As he accelerated towards it, he considered once more the greatness of the construction. It was not the building that was great – in fact, it was little more than a block of cement and steel protecting the gates to the ore mines and the elevator.

The power shaft, however, was massive. A long tube rising from the main structure, reaching through the clouds to plunge directly into the Orbital Ring around the moon. A bluish light emanated from the power shaft, with the ship-fueling energy being carried to the shipyards above.

_And today will be used to blow them up._

FN-2187 never thought he would wear again a stormtrooper armour. After taking the name Poe had given to him, a part of Finn had sworn his days fighting for the First Order were done. But a helmet, as he had learnt while fighting Phasma, was just a helmet. He could wear it and still fight for the Resistance.

Speeding down the road, he noticed how small meteors were falling toward the moon. Not meteors, he reminded himself. The escape pods were leaving the Orbital Ring.

_Rose!_

Poe would know how to get her – and then, they would come for him.

The plan was incredible audacious and required that all of the participants accomplished their parts on time, like a clock. Adding the fact that the communications were jammed, they had to rely purely on the trust for each other. Only Kovac – that worked directly to the Kuat Administration and had means to contact each of them – had fed them bits of information, placing each one of them at the right places to succeed.

And the place Finn was supposed to be was the Refinery, as he repeated to himself, finally reaching the building.

The alarm still blared, louder than ever. He climbed down from the speeder and quickly considered the hundreds gathering by the doors of the building. A squad of stormtroopers were organizing the slaves in lines against a wall, to keep them quiet or subdued. A few were still leaving the building, under the careful eyes of troopers.

Finn's heart tightened.

_JK-4678 would thrive here._

The reality of the mining work was brutal. If you were older than ten, you would be considered fit to work – it was a law mandatory for any sentient creature living in the moon of Kuat. Unless, of course, your family had enough money to buy you a dignified position as an officer or to be trained as a trooper. Finn remembered the children back in Canto Bight as he exchanged a glance with a pair of siblings covered in ore dust, no older than thirteen, trembling with fear and exhaustion.

_Their hope is crushed._

More determined than ever, he advanced, locking his eyes on the double doors of the refinery building. As Kovac had told him, Rose and BB-8 would activate the alarm of the refinery not only to empty building but to provoke chaos. In such confusion, he was just another stormtrooper, walking invisibly among a crowd.

Still alert, Finn kept a hand at the handle of his blaster and walked carefully between two troopers and a group of mineworkers, right into the main doors—

"Hey, _you_ , there!" Someone yelled behind him. "You with the backpack."

Finn turned and saw a trooper advancing menacingly. The orange patch at her right shoulder indicated she was the leader to the squad appointed to the refinery. The trooper walked toward him, crushing the gravel under her boots and keeping her blaster raised.

"Report your name and business, trooper."

"HN-5637." He lied, with his best effort to be serious and dull. "I was sent by the nearest Migration Settlement to help out, ma'am."

"No," Retorted the squad leader, removing her helmet. "You were _not_."

A tall woman was revealed underneath the helmet. Her black hair was shaved on the left side, where a tattoo of an eagle mingled with an old scar running from her chin to her eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I don't understand—"

"You were not sent. You _volunteered_ to come. At least, that was what the trooper back at the Settlement reported."

_He couldn't shut his mouth, could he?_

"He is not a witty man, squad leader," Finn replied, trying to attenuate the tension with a stiff laugh. The clock was ticking, and he had to go. "He must be confused, because—"

"Besides, don't you find it strange, trooper? You wanted to help by getting into an empty refinery?" The squad leader asked, a twisted smile touching her lips. "It does not make sense".

"I was not aware of the protocol."

"And you are not a good _liar_." She said.

_No._

Even before he had time to grab his blaster, he felt the pain in his shoulder, missing his heart by a few inches. He screamed, feeling his body knocking against the doors behind him. Attracted by the commotion, five more troopers came immediately, rising their blasters and forming a ring around Finn.

_Trouble, trouble._

"Well, looks like Vonn was right." The squad leader replied, nodding towards Finn. The troopers were prompt to obey. "Get this rat and—"

Two troopers were already advancing when a stone rained down in the direction of the squad leader's head. The woman gasped, covering her head with her hands, just to find out there was blood trickling down her face. Instantly, her face turned just as red as the blood, and she faced the slavers lined to the wall.

"Who did that?" She yelled, her voice managing to be even louder than the alarm. She pointed her blaster to one of the children Finn had seen minutes before. "Who _did_ that?"

Finn gulped, quickly overlooking his shoulder. The blood flowed, but the wound had been practically cauterized by the fire of the blaster. The pain was terrible, of course: it was like a dagger digging his flesh and burning it at the same time. Yet, he wouldn't fail. He had to move on, especially now that he was so close…

_And that I have the perfect distraction._

And as if some strange God was ready to answer his call, another stone came, this time hitting one of the troopers that had approached him. And another stone fell from the sky, aimed again to the squad leader. And another.

In a blink of an eye, chaos settled, and a battle started.

Encouraged by the commotion, the slaves started gathering stones to throw, while the alarm kept blaring. The sound of screams and blasters being fired filled the twilight. With a nervous laugh – that made the pain in his arm more excruciating –, Finn grabbed a stone by his feet and kissed it, right before throwing it with his good arm.

Then, taking advantage of the pandemonium, Finn slid between the opened doors of the refinery and disappeared inside.


	4. The Control of the Decontrol

**Chapter III**

The Control of the Decontrol

"We have received the report from the Vas Gaslin Refinery, sir." Officer Rhium said, his voice revealing how nervous he was. "I'm afraid we can now confirm a crisis."

Admiral Vonn rolled his eyes, subtly.

"Don't be overdramatic, officer," He cut off, startling the young impressionable Rhium. "Tell me what you know so far."

Twenty minutes before, Admiral Heldin Vonn had been called out of a diplomatic party to deal with an urgent crisis. It had been rather a dull party, with a handful of old kuatian ministers with forced smiles, eager to prove they were on the First Order's side. He had felt almost blessed to be called out.

Vonn had worked his entire life for the Engineering Alliance of the Kuat System – being a kuatian himself, he had been recruited as a young boy to work as a maintenance officer on the Orbital Ring. The Clone Wars, he remembered, had just ended by the time he had taken the job. Those were, without a doubt, the glorious days.

Through life, he had dedicated his time to the Kuat System and emerged within its ranks. Vonn had found good friends, just like Mother had told him to do, friends that had got him in high places.

That was how why he was now known _Admiral_ Vonn.

It was still strange, but the title had been a good gift of Ormes Apollin and the new Chancellor. A title that meant power. Growing up as a miner's son, he had never believed he could ascend to be a commander of the Orbital Ring of Kuat. But here he was, controlling an entire space station while sipping the best expensive juice d'oreian.

"The alarms of Deponn Shipyard went off first, sir." Rhium continued, recomposing himself. The boy was his godson – even though he had none of his traits. "And quickly after, the alarms down on the Vas Gaslin Refinery went off too, causing some chaos."

"Calm down, officer. Tell me, first, about the traitor at Deponn. Have we located her yet?"

"She fled in an Escape Pod, sir, I thought I had relied on you this information already—

"

"Those are old news, officer," Vonn retorted, shaking his head. "Where is she now? Have we calculated where her Escape Pod is set to land?"

Rhium turned his face toward another officer and gestured something, hastening him. The officer quickly pressed half a dozen buttons, producing a holoimage of the Moon and the Orbital Ring surrounding it. After pressing a few more buttons, a line was drawn from the Ring to the Moon's surface. The officer clicked another button, pinpointing an area on the moon where the escape pods of Deponn were likely to land.

"Twenty miles from the Vas Gaslin Refinery," Vonn said, even before Rhium could have replied. "Next time, have this information ready, officer."

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry—"

"I want you to dispatch a squad of stormtroopers to the area. I want those silly white idiots patrolling every single mile of that region, gathering anyone that has landed in a pod. Send also a fleet of TIEs with the best pilots we have – they are to take down any ship that tries to take off, even if it's able to provide access codes to leave the system. Do you hear me?"

"Any ship, sir? Even if it is one of ours?"

"I was clear the first time, officer," Insisted Vonn, sternly. No, Rhium could be his godson, but he was a fool. He would do better in a mine, like all the others. "Finding this Paige Volmos and her droid unit must be the top priority of the squad patrolling the area. And I'm sure she has a friend down there somewhere, ready to take off in a stolen ship… Make sure someone finds them."

"Yes, sir," Rhium said, exchanging a glance with the officer that had pulled up the holoimage. He was right on it.

"Meanwhile, send an IT-O Interrogator to this Officer Fischin. Anything he can tell us about the girl could be useful—"

"Yes, sir. I had already proceeded that way… and the other girl, the one denouncing the traitor, she is also scheduled to be interrogated."

"Good." Admiral Vonn continued, overlooking the control room. Around twenty officers were working silently, registering everything that was currently happening on the two fronts of the crisis. "But it's still not enough."

"Sir?"

"I want someone to strip down the console of the traitor." He continued, balancing the glass of juice d'oreian in his hand. "I want to know anyone the little rat has contacted since she started working for us. Every single name that comes up must be detained for interrogation."

"Yes, sir. I will send our best slicer to deal with the matter."

"Proceed with your report, officer Rhium."

"Well, we contacted the Squad Leader at the Refinery, as you instructed."

"And?"

"It seems you were right. They intercepted someone with abnormal behaviour, sir. A stormtrooper placed at a Migration Settlement that volunteered to help down at the Refinery."

As soon as Admiral Vonn had heard about the alarms on the Orbital Ring and on the Refinery, he knew it was an attempt to attack the space station. He had witnessed a few of those attempts during his years at service – and knew it was almost impossible to do it, especially for a man alone.

He knew it was a matter of time before the others manifested themselves.

"I guess they have the man, then?"

"No, sir."

Idiots.

Vonn sighed and his lips pressed into a thin line.

In the old days, he had heard stories about Lord Vader crushing the neck of officers under his command after proving their inefficiency. If he only could use the Force…

"It seems there was a rebellion, sir."

"A rebellion?" No, those idiots were pitifully harmless. "Oh, I do like a good old-fashioned rebellion."

"The miners started throwing rocks to the troopers. The situation is now almost controlled, sir, but it seems there are a few causalities on both sides. The Squad Leader is badly injured and reportedly unconscious… and some of the miner workers fled."

"I don't care about that." He replied, rolling his eyes. "If the Leader is unconscious, the next in line must take the charge. The miner workers don't matter – they may try to flee, but they will be caught eventually, or they will return as soon as they find out there is no way to run. Where is the rogue stormtrooper?"

"I was told the Squad Leader shot him, but the man still managed to escape during the chaos. And I'm afraid that is the crisis I referred moments ago, sir: the rogue stormtrooper managed to lock himself inside the refinery. We suspect he may try to do bomb the power shaft…"

"You suspect, officer?" He had to get rid of the boy. There was no space for ingenuity in this new order. "Go do what I ordered you to do, officer.

Vonn ignored the look on Rhium's face and gave him his empty glass.

"All right." The admiral faced the entire command room and raised his voice. "I want everyone's attention. The Resistance ends tonight, and we will be the ones putting an end to it."


	5. The Assault of the Power Shaft

**Chapter IV**

The Assault of the Power Shaft

Finn closed the doors behind him.

The echoes of screams and firing blasters receded, suffocated by the heavy gates of the refinery. Only the alarm blared over his head, pounding at the same rhythm of the heart beating in his chest. Catching up his breath, he closed his eyes, trying to compose himself and deal with the pain.

_Boom._

He was almost thrown to the floor. On the other side of the door, someone was trying to push it open again. Finn pressed himself against the door, forcing it close once again. With his good arm, he raised the blaster and pointed it to the access pad on the wall. A single shot destroyed the small box, provoking a short-circuit. The door stiffened, tightening closed.

"This will entertain them for a while", he whispered, returning the blaster to his belt. The Squad Leader – if she was still alive – would find a way to break the doors before he returned.

Finn sighed again, trying to focus himself.

"Argh." He blurted, removing the helmet.

It fell at his feet, rolling across the floor.

The pain kept devouring his shoulder with a cruel warmness. With his gloved fingers, he pressed the armour around the wound. After the assault at Takodana, Han Solo had taught him one of his tricks: pressing a wound in a certain way would not heal it, but it could do wonders to attenuate the pain. He did it, trying to repress the aching, but to no effect.

The memory of Han made him smile. Solo would certainly love this adventure.

"No, you have to concentrate", he said out loud, shaking his head. Drops of sweat splattered from his head to the floor. He felt dizzy, of course, but not unable to proceed. "I'm almost there."

Besides, time was running short.

Making his best to ignore the throbbing on his shoulder, he advanced through the corridor. Biss Kovac had a high place in Kuat. According to Leia, he had decided to collaborate with the Resistance, refusing to let his world be enslaved by the First Order. So, he had provided a plan, set members of the Resistance where they should be and give them information. Finn, for once, had studied the schematics of the building he was now exploring.

He had never been in the Refinery of Vas Gaslin, even so, he knew exactly where the power shaft entry was – thankfully, it was not far away. The pain, however, made him slower than he wanted. Climbing the metal stairs that led to the power shaft was not the easiest of tasks.

The alarms sounded all around him – and inside his head. The sound was leading to madness when he finally entered the Energy Center. It was a wide room, right at the top of the Refinery. The warm, blue, electric light bathed him, rising through the tube and ascending directly to the Orbital Ring – hundreds of miles above. The shaft was as wide as a Wroshyr tree.

The energy was generated by a large mechanism set under the shaft. The ore collected in the mines underneath the refinery was deposited in its raw form through a series of funnels – and distilled by the mechanism, that converted the ore into energy and dispatched it toward the shaft.

He approached one of the funnels where the droid units usually were feeding the mechanism.

"Yes." He said, noticing that the droids were disconnected, lined in the charging station on the other side of the room. Kovac had told him the droids would be inactive thanks to the security protocol.

Finn removed his backpack with some more difficult and dove his hand down the bag, searching for Maz's necklace. Not long after, he pulled a golden string with dozens of little wooden pieces, carved after different races. It was a religious token, according to Maz Kanata – a token to a God that blessed all living creatures.

Yet, among the wooden figures, there was a pearl.

 _A Gunnan pearl,_ as Maz had told the Resistance back at Korilev.

"There you are, you gorgeous thing," Finn said, plucking the pearl from the necklace. Fidgeting with pain, he took a step toward the mechanism and his dozen funnels.

 _Drop the Gunnan pearl in the converter and you will have a reaction within sixty-seconds,_ Maz had further explained.

"Here goes nothing." With trembling fingers, he dropped the pearl in the funnel and saw it rolling down into the mechanism converter.

 _Sixty-seconds_ , he counted in his head. _Fifty-nine._

There was no time to lose. Glancing one last time to the converter and the power shaft, Finn started running. Within fifty-seven seconds, the converter would transform the negative energy of the pearl and feed it to the power shaft. The mixture of ore and gunnan produced energies would start a chain reaction of implosions, a reaction powerful enough to break the Power Shaft but even more than that – it would provoke a reaction along the entire stream of energy of the tube.

He took more time than he hoped to reach the bottom of the stairs.

_Thirty-two seconds._

As he reached the corridor, he laughed, reminding himself of what was about to happen. The effects of the explosion he had just set up would be sensed at the end of the Power Shaft – which meant the Maw and Andrim Shipyards in the Orbital Ring would explode, just like the Star Destroyers docked on them.

 _Twenty-six-seconds,_ he continued, finally reaching the corridor.

Had the corridor been so long the first time around?

He kept running.

He couldn't stop now.

After all, at the end of it, new hope would wait for him. He was sure of it, as his eyes teared up. Poe and Rose and BB-8 – all of them would be ready to help him get aboard the stolen ship of the First Order and go back home.

He _had_ to believe that.

_Eleven-seconds._

"This corridor is definitely _way_ longer…" He said, with a raggedy breath.

Every single muscle of his arm ached, but he was almost by the door.

_Seven-seconds._

He almost whooped with triumph when his gloved fingers touched the door. He pushed it, but it didn't move. The tearful smile in his lips vanished slowly, as the realization came upon him. His fingers moved to the blaster locked on his belt, realizing the truth he had forgotten.

"No, no, _no_." He punched the doors, losing all the courage to look to the blaster access pad on the wall.

_Three-seconds._

There was no way out.

_Two-seconds._

He had blasted the access pad to stop the troopers from coming after him – and yet, the troopers had not broken the doors to come after him.

To free him.

He was trapped.

_One-second._

"May the Force be with me."

A boom down the corridor echoed and the refinery changed around him.

The ground underneath his feet trembled, making him lose control over his legs. The alarms over his head died suddenly, as the lights on the ceiling failed. Darkness fell all around him, as the dust snowed from over his head.

Against the hard floor, he could feel the taste of blood on his mouth.

Another boomed echoed, less strong than the previous one.

He gulped, closing his fists.

With eyes closed, he evoked his friends one last time. Poe and the jacket that had given him a new life. Rey and the power of friendship. And Rose, of course, and what she had said to him on the plains of Crait.

"Saving what we love." He murmured, a smile touching his lips.

He lost his unconscious way before a hooded figure managed to break the doors of the Refinery.


	6. The Way of the Jedi

** Chapter V **

** The Way of the Jedi **

The sound of the blaster was quickly succeeded by a scream.

She knew it would happen, even before it did. After all, she had dreamed of it.

_ Finn. _

Rey moved nervously from her hideout. 

Lately, it had not been easy to focus, even during quiet moments. At that moment, it was especially hard to do it. The unrest in the Force haunted not only her training but also her dreams. Master Luke had told her she had to take control of her visions before they took control of her.

_ Well, it didn’t work, master,  _ she said to herself, biting her lower lip. She could only imagine what would be said when she returned to Korilev. 

_ Focus. _

The fact she was masked as a Tusken raider didn’t help either: she had a hood upon her head and googles hiding her eyes. Her peripheral vision was restricted – even though she could reach the space around with the Force, her eyes could be incredibly useful in a situation like the one she was facing. The alarm coming from the Refinery blared all around too, raising the difficulty to concentrate.

_ You have to focus! _

A voice pressed inside her head. 

Her voice. Not Kylo’s, not Luke’s. Her voice. 

Overlooking the Refinery from behind an abandoned Miner Craft, Rey closed her eyes and felt the Force flowing through her. She was the Force, and the Force was with her – just as had happened back at Crait. She reached with her senses, feeling the stone lost among her feet, and the distant echo of Finn’s scream and the pain burning through his shoulder and the laughter of the squad leader that had fired the blaster and—

It happened.

She knew the stone had hit the target when she heard a new scream.

_ The squad leader. _

“Who did that?” The squad leader yelled, her voice managing to be even louder than the alarm. 

Rey kept her eyes closed, sensing from afar what was happening. Luke had trained her well, and her training sessions back at Korilev were proving their worth. She could sense the movements of the troopers, the sense of fear buzzing in the air and even the spark of hope rekindling in Finn’s heart, as he realized there was a small window of opportunity to get into the Refinery.

“Who  _ did  _ that?” The squad leader asked again.

Rey sensed the area around, extending part of her mind to another stone, stick of wood or piece of discarded metal. And then, as if commanding an army of her own, she willed every lit bit of improvised ammunition to levitate and be fired against every single trooper.

She opened her eyes, feeling the scraps hitting their targets once again.

And she knew, without even looking at it, that Finn had escaped and locked himself inside the Refinery.

Managing a nervous smile, she allowed herself being relieved.

There was not a second to lose: she had to clear the path for Finn to get out. Closing her eyes once more, she reached again with her mind, looking now for the ship Poe was supposed to land within a few minutes. There was no sight of it yet.

_ He is late, but not late enough to worry. _

Her senses turned back to a new source of distress by the gates.

Quickly, she noticed, with a laugh, that the mining slaves lined against the wall were rebelling. All of them had managed to grab stones and were throwing them to the troopers, that had retreated to take cover behind a small warehouse.

_ That’s a good fight, but not one for today. _

She had to make the slaves leave before the explosion.

Readjusting her goggles, she grabbed her lightsaber and left her hideout. 

Yet, she should have known it wouldn’t be  _ that _ easy.

The screams filled her head again, the same hymn of screams that had haunted her dreams – even if they were not from people she knew, the pain hurt her. The screams were so loud that they muffled the sound of the blaster being fired.

Rey’s fist closed.

The darkness tingled around her senses.

_ Join me,  _ Kylo whispered in her mind. It was only a remembrance of that moment, so far away now, just after killing Snoke.  _ Join me _ .

She shook her head and focused once more. The troopers had reached the roof of the warehouse. At least thirty of them were now ready to strike. And there were more troopers on the ground. A few of them were knocked out by the rain of stones, but there were still many conscious enough to fire a blaster. 

And they were firing mercilessly against the miner slaves.

_ No. _

She was now running toward the Refinery, losing her goggles on the way.

_ “No!” _

Many of the slaves were running toward her, screaming, trying to escape the shots being fired toward them. Rey jumped over a body, trying to do her best to ignore the dozens already on the ground, lying motionless, with their eyes open to the sky and the screams dead in their lips. 

“No!”

She stopped on her tracks abruptly and grabbed the lightsaber locked in her belt.

The dual light blade emerged, bathing her face with blue light.

Managing the saber in her hands, she threw it in the air, getting the attention of the troopers on the roof – and allowing the slaves a chance to run. The blasters stopped, a handful of them were fired toward the lightsaber, accepting the distraction. By the time the weapon returned to her hand, the troopers were clearly in shock, trying to realize what had just happened – and what their strategy should be.

And then, a trooper fired, and it was just like one of her training sessions. 

_ Reach through the Force. Let it guide you. _

The lightsaber seemed to have control of the situation, blocking every single shot fired at her – and directing it back again to the troopers. She was being targeted not only from above but also from the ones below. Many were knocked out by their fire returned to them, but the majority resisted.

“Look what you have done!” She screamed, infuriated. “How many more innocent lives does the First Order require?”

No one replied, no one even heard her over the sound of blasters and the alarm.

Rey took a step forward, still controlling the lightsaber masterfully in her hands.

She could feel again the squad leader. The woman was dizzy, she sensed. The stone had hit her hard in the head. Yet, she was still awake, and good enough to keep giving the orders to the ones fighting.

They wouldn’t stop. 

She was losing time.

_ Join me, Rey. _

“NO!” She screamed, pulling every thread of the Force that she could reach.

And as she knew it would happen, all around her the blasters were pulled from the troopers’ hands and came toward her, falling in a circle. She stopped for a few seconds, catching her breath, realizing what she had just done. The troopers seemed as shocked as her, and many were already trying to flee the warehouse…

And it was then that the ground shook. 

The alarm was suddenly killed off and the lights around the perimeter went dark. Rey held her eyes to the giant Power Shaft rising from the Refinery and connecting to the Orbital Ring. The structure trembled, plates of metal projected from the tube. 

It was about to shatter…

But suddenly, it didn’t.

The shaft trembled again and a few more disks of metal fell from the exterior structure, but the explosion set to destroy the Power Shaft stopped. The lights of the Orbital Ring, gleaming far away, kept glowing as if nothing had happened.

_ You can still restore the balance _ , the voice whispered in her head.  _ The price of innocent lives can be paid with the ones that killed them. _

Rey split her lightsaber, grabbing each half with her hands.

The fear had now taken hold of the troopers. Without their weapons, they had couldn’t fight. Many were already running, climbing aboard their speeders, leaving behind the ones that had died.

_ I could kill them, yes,  _ she said, gulping.  _ But that’s not the way of the Jedi. _

Still holding her lightsabers, she turned toward the Refinery’s door and pressed the blades against the metal, carving a circle. A few minutes later, she was inside the building, crouching next to an unconscious Finn, ready to take him home.


End file.
